Read Online The Piccadilly Plot by Susanna Gregory - Free Book Online Page B

in.’
    ‘No one did, sir. So these planks must have been stolen after I left this morning, when the doors were unlocked for the workmen.’
    ‘Without anyone seeing?’ asked the Earl archly.
    ‘Without anyone raising the alarm,’ corrected Chaloner. ‘As I have said before, I suspect the thieves have accomplices among
     the workforce.’
    ‘Nonsense! My labourers are above reproach.’ The Earl held up his hand when Chaloner started to point out that such a large
     body of men, none of whom were very well paid, was likely to contain at least one rotten apple, and probably a lot more. ‘You
     let your attention wander, and these cunning dogs seized the opportunity to climb through a window. They cannot have gone
     through a door, because my locks are tamper-proof.’
    ‘Are they now?’ murmured Chaloner. He had not met a lock yet that could keep him out.
    ‘They are the best money can buy.’ The Earl’s eyes shone, as they always did when he was boasting about his new home. ‘And
     one key opens them all.’
    Chaloner had never heard of such a thing. ‘Really?’
    The Earl rummaged in his clothing and produced a key that hung on a cord around his neck. ‘There are only two copies in existence.
     I have one, and Pratt has the other – his will eventually go to Frances. It means we shall be able to lock whichever rooms
     we like without having to sort through vast mountains of keys.’
    ‘I see,’ said Chaloner, resisting the urge to ask what would happen if one was mislaid.
    ‘The only door it cannot open is the one to the vault.’ The Earl grinned. ‘And that is clever, too – it is designed to be
     airless, so if ever there is a fire, my papers and other valuables will be safe.’
    ‘Airless?’ asked Chaloner uneasily. ‘But what if someone is shut inside?’
    The Earl looked smug. ‘That will never happen to an innocent person, and thieves deserve to be suffocated. Pratt is a genius
     for inventing such clever measures. My new home is impregnable.’
    ‘Except for the fact that someone broke in and stole your planks,’ Chaloner pointed out.
    The Earl scowled. ‘That was
your
fault. You failed to ensure all the windows were closed, and then you were asleep when the burglars arrived to take advantage.
     And it obviously happened during the night, because thieves never operate in broad daylight.’
    ‘Do not rail at him, dear,’ said Frances mildly. ‘And thieves
do
operate in broad daylight. Indeed, they probably prefer it, because they will be able to see what they are doing.’
    Chaloner wished she were present during all his interviews with the Earl. ‘The only way to catch the culprits – or to deter
     them – is to put the house under continuoussurveillance. But I cannot do it, sir, not if I am to look into the threat against Pratt.’
    ‘True,’ acknowledged the Earl. ‘So Pratt and his assistant Oliver can take responsibility during the day, and I shall hire
     Sergeant Wright to do it at night – he has more than enough men to protect Pratt
and
guard my house. That should leave you plenty of time to unmask the assassin – and to lay hold of these wretched burglars
     before they steal anything else.’
    ‘Very well, sir.’ Chaloner turned to leave.
    ‘Wait,’ said the Earl. He grimaced. ‘Much as it pains me to admit it, Henry is wrong, and you and Brodrick are right – the
     Queen would never conspire to kill my architect, not even to repay me for neglecting her these last few months. But that does
     not mean Pratt is safe. You
must
learn who sent that letter and prevent something dreadful from unfolding – Pratt dead and the Queen blamed.’
    ‘I shall do my best, sir.’
    Chaloner was preparing to take leave of his employer when Edgeman the secretary arrived to remind the Earl that it was time
     to attend a meeting of the Tangier Committee. The Earl indicated Chaloner was to help him up – gout and an expanding girth
     meant he was not as agile as he once was – and